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Airlines Moving the Needle by Promoting Passenger Choice Awards

Monday, June 4, 2012

(NEW YORK) ― More and more airlines are promoting the APEX Passenger Choice Awards to their customers, and the program is more popular than ever as a result, according to APEX Executive Director Russ Lemieux. The deadline for voting for this year’s awards program is 30 June.

“The Passenger Choice Awards are a relatively new program and it’s taken some time for airlines to determine how best to promote it to passengers, but now we’re seeing airlines beginning to leverage a variety of vehicles to get the word out about the awards, and it’s having a significant impact on consumer participation,” Lemieux said.

Since the 2012 program launched, the number of passengers who have visited www.passengerchoiceawards.com to rate their recent flight experiences has increased 75 percent compared to last year. In May alone, some 20,000 surveys were completed.

Many airlines are making one last marketing push this spring to encourage customers to participate in the program, Lemieux said. Notices on airline websites, in social media and advertisements in in-flight magazine are just some of the ways airlines are encouraging passengers to express opinions about their flight experiences. Winners of the Passenger Choice Awards will be announced at the APEX awards ceremony, September 16, during the APEX EXPO in Long Beach, California, USA.

“In monitoring participation from around the world, we see a correlation to the number of passengers from different regions that complete the Passenger Choice Awards survey to the individual airlines serving those regions who also are proactively promoting the program to customers,” Lemieux said.

The most popular languages among non-English-speaking respondents – Russian, Turkish and Hebrew – are a result of airlines in those regions not only supporting the program, but also using a variety of different platforms to promote it.

Airlines appreciate the opportunity to receive feedback on their services and the opportunity to be recognized, Lemieux said. Consumers appreciate that the Passenger Choice Awards are a totally unbiased program which recognizes excellence in passenger experience. The program is managed by Neilsen, a global leader in consumer information and measurement, which is tracking the voting.

The Passenger Choice Awards were established in 2009 with the purpose of recognizing achievement in enhancing the Inflight Entertainment (IFE), food and beverage (in conjunction with IFSA), in-flight magazines, connectivity and other services and benefits that make up the overall airline passenger experience.

“More than recognizing achievement, the Passenger Choice Awards help drive innovation,” said Mr. Lemieux. “Passenger Choice Awards finalists and winners represent the top innovators in their categories, and are justifiably proud of their impact on the air travel industry and the passenger experience.”

The 2012 awards campaign will close on 30 June and immediately reopen on 1 July for the 2013 awards cycle.

Find out more about the Passenger Choice Awards and how to promote the program by clicking here.